1. Jhoom Jhoom dhalti raat (Lata Mangeshkar)

Kohraa (1964) featured the ethereal Waheeda Rehman as the mysterious rake Biswajeet’s second wife who’s haunted by his dead wife. Based on Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940), the chilling ambience of this film was sublimated by the producer Hemant Kumar’s vintage music. Lata Mangeshkar’s Jhoom jhoom dhalti raat heightened the feeling of ominous dread in the plot. Montages of the dead woman’s spirit wandering the night in this song were exquisitely expressive. Waheeda Rehman as the Indian version of Rebecca was vulnerable, adamant and very beautiful. Kohraa was one of the superior supernatural thrillers of the 1960s where the actors respond to a particular plot rather than peripheral attractions such as songs and romance.

2. Mujhe apni duniya mein wapas bula lai (Noor Jehan)

Deewana (1964) was perhaps Lollywood’s first ever horror film. It was made way back in 1964 and took its inspiration from the Invisible Man and The Spiral Staircase. Sabiha was cast in the role of an insomniac and the film despite starting off with a certain amount of promise soon deteriorated into an insufferable bore. The intriguing aspect of the film plot that involved the marauding psychotic invisible man was completely ignored while the audience was tortured by an uninteresting romantic plot involving Sabiha, Ejaz and Ilyas Kashmiri.

However, the film had some awesome songs composed by Bengali music director Muslehuddin. It has been noticed that whenever Noor Jehan collaborated with music directors from East Pakistan (whether Muslehuddin or Bashir Ahmed), the result was magic and this song is no exception. This particular ghost song sung by Noor Jehan and chorus and picturized on Nasreen (with Zurain in the frame) was the highlight of the film. Muslehuddin’s was very good with using chorus voices, and in this song he created “that” ghostly effect by blending the chorus effectively with the main voice

3. Rahoun mei thari mein nazrein jamaey (Noor Jehan)

One of the finest ghost films coming out of Pakistan, Ghoonghat (1962) was composed, produced and directed by Pakistan’s ace composer Khurshid Anwar. In this song he used Noor Jehan’s voice effectively to create the mysterious ambience. The ringing of temple bells at the beginning of the song and the use of chorus (one of the best use of chorus in my opinion) further enhanced the haunted atmosphere of this song.

The biggest technical achievement of this film at its time was to create the atmosphere of mystery that has been captured in the outdoor location sequences. It was comparatively much easier to create such an effect on the artificial sets, where the studio lights were under the control of the cameraman and a limited space facilitated the manipulation of artificial mist. But to successfully launch such a venture in the wide expanses of a mountain was an achievement which Lollywood could well be proud of.

4. Kahin deep jaley kahin dil (Lata Mangeshkar)

Bees saal baad (1962) was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. This ghost song was the highlight of this film and credit should be given to both the music director Hemant Kumar and singer Lata Mangeshkar for creating the spooky/haunted atmosphere required for such mystery/thrillers.

This song also remains a milestone in Lata’s career because she fell ill in 1962 and thought she would never be able to sing again. In Lata’s own words

“In 1962, I fell very ill for about three months. I thought I would never be able to sing again. One day, I woke up feeling very uneasy in my stomach. And then I started throwing up — it was terrible, the vomit was a greenish color. The doctor came and even brought an x-ray machine home because I could not move. He x-rayed my stomach and said I was being slowly poisoned. We had a servant in the house who made the food. Usha (Mangeshkar) went straight into the kitchen and told everyone that from that moment  on, she would do the cooking instead. The servant sneaked off without telling anyone and without collecting any pay. So we thought someone had planted him there. We didn’t know who it was. I was bed-ridden for three months and was so weak.

I will never forget Majrooh Sahib’s kindness to me during those difficult times. He came at six in the evening and sat by me every day for three long months. He ate whatever I ate and recited poetry and read me stories. We talked and laughed together. I thoroughly enjoyed this company.

When I was feeling well enough to sing, the first song I recorded was Hemant Kumar’s ‘Kahin deep jale kahin dil.’”

5. Kahan ho tum saheliyoun (Noor Jehan)

Although technically not a ghost song.. but the singing, the delusions/hallucinations the lonely and sick heroine is going through by being imprisoned in the haunted mansion is enough the create the disturbed and chilling atmosphere required for ghost songs.

Again Khurshid Anwar collaborates with Noor Jehan and chrous to create this spooky song for mystery/suspense/thriller Hamraaz (1967). The cobwebs, the burning candles, the delusions that her friends are dancing and singing with her, the deep sickly breaths and most of all the haunted humming done by the chorus immerses us into chilling audio-visual experience.

Note:- For a change I didn’t include Lata’s omnipresent “Aayega aanewala”. Although it is one of my favorite songs, I don’t think that song needs any introduction – Ummer Siddique

A scene from Kohraa (1964)

Mehdi Hasan at an art exhibition – Photo courtesy of Asif Noorani

It was not until Mehdi Hasan: The Man and his Music, the book that I conceived, compiled, edited, partly wrote and almost entirely rewrote, hit the bookstores that I realised the great singer’s popularity hasn’t receded over the years. Though the stroke that paralysed him ten years ago has left him at best wheelchair bound and at worst bedridden, and he has neither performed nor recorded for a decade, he remains a yardstick by which all other ghazal singers are judged. The slim volume, laced with photographs, most of them unpublished, and accompanied with two priceless CDs, has been a bestseller and very soon work may well begin on the second edition.

Mehdi Hasan: The Man and his Music happened when I realised that there was no book on one of the greatest icons of the subcontinent in our times. Some of his admirers in India often sent requests for anything on ‘Mehdi sahib’ which they could read and give a pride of place on their bookshelves.

When I decided to take a plunge, the one major problem was, and still is, that the icon cannot communicate. His answers, if any, are in one or two words. His family members are scattered and difficult to contact, except for a son in Karachi who is generally inaccessible. “But”, as I wrote in the foreword of the book, “I discovered to my surprise and, of course, pleasure that people like composer Robin Ghosh in Dhaka, Raza Ali Abidi in London, Rakhshanda Jalil in Delhi and Raza Rumi in Lahore agreed wholeheartedly to contribute to the book at short notice. Then there were singers like Runa Laila, Jagjit Singh, Abida Parveen, Nayyara Noor and Tina Sani, who spoke enthusiastically about their association with the vocalist from whom they have drawn inspiration.”

EMI Pakistan, which had been forced into hibernation by pirates and are back in action, were invited to become a partner in the project, which they did so happily. They have a great collection in their archives, which they are indexing. I recalled that in 1976, a two-evening concert, featuring the ustad, was held in Lahore. The recordings later released on audio cassettes are in my personal library. The stereophonic recording was superb. I selected six best ghazals, which appear on CD 1, without being abridged or pruned.

The second CD features in addition to his exquisite film songs, a duet with Nazakat and Salamat. Mehdi Hasan is a match to the well known exponents of classical music and scores over them and sounds sweeter. Another surprise number is his superb rendition of a Bulleh Shah kafi. Then there are splendid recitations of a thumri, a Rajasthani folk song and Heer. The tracks on both the CDs are digitised. Before I forget let me add that the second CD begins with a tribute paid by the well known Indian singer Jagjit Singh to the uncrowned king of ghazal gayeki.

Back to the book, its contents in the context of text and photographs offer a wide variety. If there are serious articles on the contributions of the singer to ghazal gayeki and film music, there are brief tributes paid to him by the likes of Dilip Kumar, Noor Jehan, Naushad and Lata. There are also interesting anecdotes like the one when he reassembled his harmonium, which was dropped by someone while being carried to a concert, in a matter of few minutes. “Don’t be surprised. I was an auto mechanic once and had assembled a number of tractor engines. Assembling a harmonium is child’s play to me,” he told his relieved audience.

No less interesting is the short piece by Shaukat Sheikh who recalled how “Gulon mein rang bhare” was originally recorded by HMV to issue as a record but on director Khaleel Qaiser’s insistence the ghazal was included in his movie Farangi. That became Mehdi Hasan’s signature tune. Once when some one requested Faiz to recite the ghazal at a mushaira he quipped “Woh ghazal to ab Mehdi Hasan ki hogai hai. Aap unse sunye.”

I have listed 30 of his finest ghazals and 30 best film songs, as also some ragas on which he has based his popular ghazals. A list of awards, won by the singer, has been included in the book too.

Among the rare photographs published between the covers is the one where he is seen with his first wife. He looks happy but the glint in his eyes when he is seen with other females is naturally not there. He also appears in the company of other celebrities.

With two legitimate and well recorded CDs, the book is quite affordable. It has been priced Rs. 695. An imported book of this nature would have been no less than Rs. 1,500.

Liberty Books, the publishers of the book, are trying to make it available outside Pakistan. Let’s hope that becomes possible soon – Asif Noorani – Source – Dawn.com

Mehdi Hasan

KARACHI, Dec 6: Tribute was paid to Mehdi Hasan at the launch of a book, which deals with his life and music, here on Monday.

Music lovers were, however, disappointed that the veteran vocalist, who has been in poor health, could not attend the function.

Efforts of senior journalist Asif Noorani, who compiled and edited the book titled Mehdi Hasan: the man and his music, were appreciated by all those who spoke at the book launch.

The book carries well-researched articles and anecdotes about the great singer. Two CDs, containing some of the rare ghazals sung by Mehdi Hasan, accompany the book.

The launch was jointly organised by Liberty Books and EMI Pakistan.

Those who spoke at the book launch included Zehra Nigah, Arshad Mahmood, Raza Ali Abidi, Saleem Hussain and Umar Sheikh.

Zehra Nigah, the eminent poet and chief guest, spoke about the need for acknowledging local artistes more often than is usually done. She also praised the efforts made by the author of the book.

Asif Noorani said: “It is disappointing that while five books are available on Lata Mangeshkar, not a single book is available on Mehdi Hasan, for whom she has great admiration as a singer. In our country we praise lavishly those people who are no more; I have the satisfaction of writing a book in Mehdi Hassan sahib’s lifetime”.

The book was termed a valuable contribution to recording of Pakistan’s national heritage and showing the path to young music lovers.

Mehdi Hasan’s music played in the background while guests discussed the merits of Mehdi Hasan’s music and compiler-editor Asif Noorani signed copies of the book – Source – Dawn.com

Nashad listens intently as the golden-voiced Lata Mangeshkar sings one of his compositions

Although no one says it to my face, I know that there is a section in the film industry who decry my music as “a   re-hash of familiar tunes.”

This amounts to a charge of plagiarism.

I have no defense, no apology, to offer, except to say that, if am a plagiarist, I am one unconsciously.

With only seven main notes, six ragas, thirty-six raginis and seventy-two sub-raginis, every “new” musical composition is bound to sound familiar in places.

Try to hum any popular film composition of today and then cast back your mind. Make a careful search for a parallel and you will easily find one in some celebrated songs of yesterday.

I believe in popular music, music which people will like, humming and singing it in their homes—in moments of joy or sorrow. I try my-best to keep my compositions free from complicated “alaps,” “tans” and those notational cascades which the man-in-the­-street (who has no musical training) cannot easily remember and hum.

Film music, to be good and popular, must always be the result of team-work. The ego of the music-director as well as that of the lyric-writer needs to be suppressed completely, even to the extent of accepting suggestions from everyone in the unit.

In the music of one of my forthcoming films, the appeal of the songs owes much to suggestions made by the producer and mem­bers of his staff. One of the tunes owes its origin to an air I heard the office-boy humming!

The producer was no professional musi­cian, but I discarded two of my best tunes to fit in a completely different third one based on his suggestions.

I am glad that I do not live in an ivory tower and am not deaf to the music of ordinary people, I say to myself : “If this is the kind of music they love, it is absurd to give them a high-brow composition. Both in rhythm and structure,  I stick rigorously to what is popular, even at the sacrifice of my own preferences.

Such film music can be planned scienti­fically and with precision. My first job usually is to sit with the director and determine the musical “situations”. Once these are agreed upon, I start composing the melodies, in harmony with the “mood” of those situa­tions. Then the lyricist writes the words of the approved tune.

After the song has been recorded, our work is ended and it now depends on the director to make or mar it in his picturisa­tion of it. This, indeed, is a hurdle all film music must take.

Everyone has listened to film songs which sound good on the radio, yet have been “murdered” by poor picturisation. Every­one, too, has heard songs which on the air have sounded mediocre and of no particular merit, yet have been things of beauty in the film—thanks to clever directorial work. A really good song, given to a good director to picturise, seldom fails to go over in a big way with the public.

It is thus necessary for a music director to be careful in signing his contracts. It is important to him to make sure that the film for which he is employed to provide music will be directed by a competent man, so that not only are his songs not “murdered” in transcription to the screen but any possible shortcomings in them are glossed over by good picturisation.

Consequently I have always studied the directors of the films for which I am to provide music. One knows that one’s songs are safe with them and gain in appeal from attractive picturisation..

To these men, too, my tunes often sound “vaguely familiar”! But, then, what tune doesn’t ?

With only seven notes, six ragas, thirty-six raginis—but we’ve just gone over that! – Naushad (August, 1955)

Zeba in Jabse Dekha Hai Tumhe (1963)

Inspired/Copied version :- Yeh kaisa gham hai – Film – Jabse dekhai hai tumhe – Year – 1963 – Music Director(s) – Sohail Rana – Country – Pakistan

Original or Inspired from :- Bésame Mucho – Country – Mexico

Details - Yeh kaisa gham hai sung by Naheed Niazi and composed by Sohail Rana for Pakistani film Jabse dekhai hai tumhe was inspired by Bésame Mucho – a Spanish language song written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez. More details about Bésame Mucho can be found on Wikipedia here – Ummer Siddique

Listen

Yeh kaisa gham hai by Naheed Niazi

and Bésame Mucho on piano below :-

Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant in MunimJi (1955)

Inspired/Copied version :- Jeevan kai safar mein rahi – Film – Anokhi – Year – 1956 – Music Director(s) – Hassan Latif and Timir Baran – Country – Pakistan

Original or Inspired from :- Jeevan kai safar mein rahi – Film – MunimJi – Year – 1955 –  Music Director(s) – S.D. Burman – Country – India

Details - Pakistani version of Jeevan kai safar mein rahi was sung by Zubaida Khanum for film Anokhi which was released in 1956. The Indian version of the same song was a tandem version sung by Lata (slow and sad) and Kishore Kumar (fast and happy) for Munim Ji (1955). Going by the year of release, the song was lifted by Pakistan – both tune and lyrics. However, it can’t be ascertained who composed the Pakistani version of this song. Anokhi’s music was composed by two music directors Hassan Latif and Timir Baran. Timir Baran came from India especially to compose the music of this film and the film lead was also played by Indian actress – Sheila Ramani.

However, keep in mind that both versions were inspired by very popular Mexican Hat Dance from Mexico – by Ummer Siddique

Listen

Jeevan kai safar mein rahi – by Zubaida Khanum

and MunimJi and Mexican Hat Dance versions below :-

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

You have to feel sorry for with the guy. The exceedingly talented Rahat Fateh Ali Khan must be thinking ‘why the heck did I choose to be a judge on a music reality show’ for the sole reason that every time a film celebrity appears on Chhote Ustad, they’re asked (sometimes pushed) to get on to the stage and shake their booty (read: dance). Each time that happens, they implore RFK to join them and show his moves. He obliges willy-nilly and looks utterly spaced out.

Poor old Rahat is a singer par excellence and is someone who is accustomed to singing songs while comfortably perched on the stage. Last week when Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra were plugging their film Anjaana Anjaani on Chhote Ustad, they were invariably asked to pirouette and twist. It was a scene to be seen when Ranbir, on one occasion, requested Rahat to join in on the act. RFK got up and the way he tried not to disappoint them only made you sympathise with the singer. He was out of sorts and did things that are quite uncharacteristic of him. No details.

Josh

Canada-based band, Josh, teams up with R&B singer/songwriter/producer Pranam ‘Chin’ Injeti on an English song to support the flood victims in Pakistan

As a foreign desi band, Josh has had a very strong presence in Pakistan. Along with officially releasing their album in the country, making their music videos in Pakistan, hosting numerous concerts, recipients of music awards and participants in Coke Studio-2, Josh is a band that the Pakistani audience holds close to their heart.

The music community has come forward and helped hand-in-hand with relief operations in order to help the flood-affected. Josh has also attempted to contribute through a song called S.I.N.G. which is due to be released in North America very soon.

Band member Rup Magon posted on his Twitter account (RupJosh): “We have recorded an incredible new English track called S.I.N.G. – SINGING INSPIRED by the NEED to GIVE… raising funds for Pakistan and other countries in need.” According to the band, the song will “liven up your spirits and break your heart at the same time.”

Josh has worked on the song with singer/songwriter/producer Pranam “Chin” Injeti who is perhaps best known as the vocalist for the ’90s the R&B band Base is Base. In 2009 he helped produce and wrote songs for Eminem’s Recovery album and played guitar and electric bass on tracks by 50 Cent and Drak, among others. Along with appearing on several music shows, he released his solo record D’tach this year as well.

Khursheed Begum

The year was 1992 the month was February; I entered a house in Karachi’s posh area. I was led inside by a servant who took me to the living room area of the neatly decorated compact house. A group of women sat in the room, all in their middle ages. They were startled to see a person holding a tape recorder in his hand, a sudden pin drop silence followed. Minds brimmed with questions but lips were sealed. Amidst all this was a lady reclined on a deewaan. She was much older than the rest of them; her eyes twinkled with certain verve and her snow white hair shined on the round scalp. This is the woman who was once the heartthrob of many. An actress of yore who gracefully ruled the silver screen for many years. Yes, I had landed there to interview Khursheed Bano; the leading star of the 30’s who gave up everything for her marriage. This interview was perhaps her last interview ever and according to her the only one she gave in Pakistan.

Ever since Khursheed Bano bid farewell to the movies, she kept a low profile. She chose to keep herself and her family away from the big bad world of show business. She refused to give interviews or speak about her professional life with anybody. Soon after partition she quit cinema and tied the knot and then shunned limelight for good. I was lucky that my maternal aunt knew her well as together they used to recite Na’at in Milads organized by their friends, not professionally. So I requested my aunt and she asked Khursheed who was kind enough to allow me to come and interview her.

Khursheed Bano was born as Irshad Begum in Lahore. As a child she resided in the Bhatti Gate area next to Allama Iqbal’s house. The two families were pretty close. Khursheed was a child then. There was no ambition of joining the showbiz bandwagon then and it was by chance that led her to this arena.

Khursheed was very still young when she became an actress in the early 30’s. The era of the silent movies had already ended with the release of Alam Ara in 1931 and the Indian film industry was going through a revolution. What set her apart from other heroines were her attractive face and certain flamboyance owing to which she made her presence felt. And then she was very good actress who could be melodramatic and happy-go-lucky with equal ease.

Each star then was required to playback for themselves and Khursheed was lucky to have a good voice. Hence started the brilliant era of some timeless classical and exemplary numbers like panchi banwara chaand sey preet lagaye.

The graceful and decent actress was luckier to secure some of the best films including Sitara, Shaadi, Musafir, Pardesi, Bhagat Surdas, Dekha Jaye Ga, Shehanshah-E-Babar and Tansen. Pardesi had a very famous soundtrack comprising of memorable numbers by the late actress. In Tansen she played the protagonist Tani with Kundan Lal Saigal as Tansen. Together they made indelible performances and the role took her to great heights. She even transcended Saigal with her strong performances and pretty looks and her fans started calling her Tani after that.

Her leading men in those days apart from Saigal where Motilal, Ishwar Lal, Nazeer and Sadiq Ali. She made a successful pair with Motilal the most. Her female contemporaries included actresses of caliber like Kanan Bala, Devika Rani, Leela Chitnis, Suraiya, Swaranlata and Noor Jehan. The last three were her juniors.

Khursheed said that there was no such thing as rivalry in those days and actresses worked in close coordination. Abusing, backbiting or gossiping was not amongst their traits. Even the male stars with whom she worked treated her with great respect and there were no scandals.

Though she was an accomplished singer, acting remained her forte and first love. “Singing was a requirement to be a heroine in those days”, she said, “and even heroines with not too good voices were forced to ding if they were to act. But the composers were so good that they managed to get the best out of them then. Each song was recorded after several rehearsals. But I was an actress before and singing was just to complement that.”

Khursheed was not too happy with the way films shaped up in the years to come. So much so that she never wanted to see films anymore. In the interview she expressed her displeasure, “In spite of the resources and much higher budget, there is not a single film maker in the entire sub continent who could make a film even half as good as the films made in my era. Ours were simple films but treated well and had strong content. Plus the hard work and honesty of each unit member reflected in the entire film. This thing is missing now. A film is not only about technique, rather the issue, sensitivity and sincere dedication too.”

Following partition in 1947, Khursheed opted to move to Pakistan. She worked in two Pakistani films too – Mandi and Fankar. But then she decided to quit and tied the knot with a Karachi – based business Yousaf Bhai Mian. They had one daughter who lived in the US when the interview was conducted. She then concentrated on her marriage alone and emerged equally successful on the home front as much as she was in films. She was happy that she quit films before their standards declined – Interview conducted in 1992 by Navaid Rashid. Khursheed Begum died on April 18th, 2001.

Atif Aslam

Pakistani singers crossing the border to lend their voice for a song or two in India isn’t a new story at all. Back in the day Nazia Hassan and Zohaib made the music of Disco Deewane rocking success and since then this has become a trend. In 2004, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan made his debut in Bollywood with the music of Paap and it wasn’t long ago when the Bhatts welcomed Atif Aslam to Bollywood with open arms and made him sing for their production. And it wasn’t just Atif who made it there, from Rahat Fateh Ali khan to Shafqat Amanat Ali, Ali Zafar, Mustafa Zahid, Ali Azmat, Call, Annie, Adeel Chaudhry and Shehzad Roy all crossed the border for a singing stint. Here’s a look at the five singers who actually made it big in Bollywood in the past few years!

Atif Aslam
Pakistani artists and singers are known for making music of different genres whereas in India most of the music made is the typical filmy sort. And the audience demands variety, so when the need for diversity arose the directors and producers had no choice but to look across the border for fresh talent. And when they did so, their eyes fell directly on Atif Aslam! This was back in 2005 when Atif Aslam crossed the border for the first time to sing for Bollywood and the Bhatts in particular. After ‘Woh Lamhe’ for Zeher, there was no looking back and also I might add, every single song he gave voice to was a hit to say the least. ‘Tere Bin’ topped charts in 2006, ‘Pehli Nazar Main’ did the same in 2008 and ‘Tera Honay Laga Hoon’ and ‘Tu Jaane Na’ were the biggest hits of last year among others. So much so that Atif got nominated for his music in literally every award function last year. Clearly, Atif has made it big in Bollywood with the magic of his voice.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has sung the most for Bollywood among all other Pakistani singers. He has contributed in 30 different movies in the past 6 years and all of these movies have been big budget films starring the best that Indian cinema has to offer. His music has been a part of Om Shanti Om, Singh is King, Namaste London, Aaja Nachle, Billu Barber, Love Aajkal, My Name Is Khan, I Hate Luv Stories, We Are Family, Dabangg and many others. Now if a big budget movie comes out without Rahat’s voice in it, it seems incomplete! These days Rahat is the co-judge of a music show with Sonu Nigam which airs in both India and Pakistan. With all these achievements up his sleeve, one can only wonder if even the sky is the limit for Rahat.

Shafqat Amanat Ali
Shafqat Amanat Ali made his debut in Bollywood with the famous ‘Mitwa’ from Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, which turned out to be a super hit! It continued to top charts for weeks and was probably the best track of the movie. That’s when Shafqat made his place in the hearts of many Indian music lovers and what better start could Shafqat have hoped for than to sing for Karan Johar’s production? But that wasn’t it for him. He went on to sing ‘Yeh Hosla’ for Dor, which turned out to be an extremely beautiful track that got lots of critical acclaim. Along with giving his voice to movies like Hello, Mumbai Cuttings and Aashayen, he recently sang ‘Bin Tere’ for I Hate Luv Storys and the song was nothing less than a chartbuster! Shafqat may not have sung as much as other Pakistani singers for Bollywood, but whatever that he has sung has been phenomenal!

Ali Zafar
When most other Pakistani singers crossed the border to sing, one couldn’t figure out why Ali Zafar wasn’t doing the same? Maybe he was waiting for the right time, maybe he had other plans or maybe he wanted to do something different – at that point in time we didn’t know what it was. Today we certainly do. He wanted to do border crossing like it was never done before and he did it eventually. Ali Zafar’s ticket to Bollywood has definitely been the much talked about Tere Bin Laden but don’t just forget that not only has Ali acted in the movie as the lead but also sung four songs of Tere Bin Laden. ‘I Love Amreeka’, ‘Ullu Da Patha’ and ‘Welcome To Amreeka’ are tracks composed by the superb trio Shankar Ehsan Loy and sung by Ali himself while ‘Bus Ek Soch’ is truly Ali’s own composition! Ali has made us all very proud.

Shehzad Roy
The latest singer to cross the border and join the Bollywood bandwagon is Shehzad Roy. Sure, he took time to make his singing debut there but something tells us there’s going to be no looking back. Shehzad Roy’s song, ‘Bullshit’ was featured in Akshay Kumar’s latest movie, Khatta Meetha. The best thing about Shehzad’s debut is that the song is his own composition. It might seem familiar to Pakistanis because it’s a mixture of ‘Laga Reh’ and ‘Qismat Apnay Haath Main’ but hopefully will be fresh enough for Bollywood directors. Here’s wishing Shehzad Roy all the best for his future projects – Hafsah Sarfraz